Surrey school heading into rugby provincials ranked 10th

Published 10:30 pm Tuesday, May 12, 2026

It was a bittersweet game for several Grade 12 Lord Tweedsmuir rugby players during “Senior Night.”

The senior rugby team played its final home game of the season May 1 and the school honoured several graduating players. Head coach Walter van Halst said the seniors were overjoyed to be playing a game they love, but there were also smothered by emotion as the post-game reality set in that this was their final game on their home pitch in Tweedy colours.

“On Friday, there were mixed emotions as the senior class … played their last ever game on their home field,” said van Halst. He added the players were very thankful for a such a “great” Grade 12 rugby season, which included a “once-in-a-lifetime” overseas rugby tour.

“All the graduating players were recognized at the conclusion of the senior night match and their mothers were presented with roses,” van Halst said. “I’m going to miss this group when they graduate, but I can’t imagine a better final game on their home field than this one.”

The game was a lopsided track meet with the Lord Tweedsmuir Rugby Panthers running in nine tries for a 61-7 drubbing of Chilliwack’s GW Graham.

In the massive win, Tyler Jones (inside centre) scampered in from 15 metres to record the first Tweedsmuir try of the match while Jerin Harinen’s conversion made it 7-0 a mere two minutes into the match (his first of seven converts).

Jack MacGregor scored two tries—one on a streaking run down the left sideline and the other off a rambling maul, which formed after a lineout, that trampled both earth and Graham players on the way to paydirt.

“(It) was the best eight-man maul the forwards have executed all season,” noted van Halst.

He added that none of the senior players had quite the day Grade 12 flanker Caine Maggio had. Maggio registered four tries over the course of the game.

“Caine’s individual effort was phenomenal, but I’m even more impressed with his commitment to the team, his leadership of the forward pack, and his unselfishness all season long,” van Halst said. “He is definitely one of the players who absorbed the most about our sport on our tour of New Zealand at Spring Break.”

Dylan Champion-Taylor and Harinen also ran in tries against the visitors to round out the scoring in what was a “crossover match” between the South Fraser and Eastern Valley zones. Harinen also scored another 14 points on 7 conversions while Christian Parry slotted the 8th conversion on the ninth try for the Panthers

The Panthers lost to South Delta Secondary 20-15 in overtime in their league semi-final game the week after on May 7.

“(It) was an outstanding game with an unbelievable show of heart by our boys,” van Halst noted. “This week we have a bye and we are now ranked #10 in AAA tier 1 senior boys rugby, our school’s highest ranking in many years.”

The kids will now spend the next couple of weeks prepping for the provincial championships—having already qualified. Here is the roster for provincials, to be held in Abbotsford May 27-30, with graduating players noted in bold.

ROSTER

Brooks, Matthias

Brown, Connor

Champion-Taylor, Dylan

Choi, Aiden

Conlin, Landon

Cutler, Alistair

Etta, Melvin

Gauthier, Elijah

Gill, Arjun

Harinen, Jerin

James-Manu, Sebastian

Johnson, Jake

Jones, Tyler

MacGregor, Jack

Maggio, Caine

Meberg, Finn

Mindingall, Mekhi

Ogden, Kaylem

Parry, Christian

Reid, Mathew

Reinhardt, Gabe

Ronning, Knight (IR)

Sheppard, Wil

Sheren, Sean

Somyk, Nikita

Taylor, Lucas

Thiara, Manjot

Thurston, Chase

Tingstad, Owen

Truong, Nick

Vandenbosch, Riley

Wagenaar, Ben

Watson, Connor (PR)

Young, Tahwayne